Blood Simple: Improved Crime-Scene Analysis Techniques
Blood Simple A camera reveals residue, 3-D renderings recreate crimes, and T-cells improve age tests. Lauren Burke/Getty Images The aftermath of violent crimes is nothing like what we see on TV, says Stephen Morgan, a forensic analytic chemist. "Crime scenes are messy, chaotic. There's a lot to look at." Too much, in fact. What's needed are methods to simplify the forensic process without damaging evidence at the scene. These three breakthroughs will do just that. Where Investigators use spray-on reagents to locate blood spatter that's too small to see. But chemicals can contaminate evidence or give false positives. Stephen Morgan and Michael Myrick of the University of South Carolina have developed an infrared camera system that exposes microscopic traces of blood without using chemicals. The device targets blood proteins, which remain long after visible blood has been wiped away, filtering background infrared to reveal blood residue that can't be seen with the naked...